Colons/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby toast marshmallows on a fire while camping in the woods at night. TIM: I can't believe we're lost. Moby offers a marshmallow to Tim. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No, I was supposed to bring the marshmallows; you were supposed to bring the map. Moby shrugs. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Uh, let's do a letter. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, can you explain when to use colons? From, Walter. An image shows a colon. TIM: A colon is a punctuation mark that looks like two dots stacked on top of each other. It has a bunch of different uses, but most of them follow the same pattern: whatever comes after the colon describes, expands on, or reveals something new about what came before. Come to think of it, that sentence is a pretty good example. An image shows the sentence, highlighting the colon after the word "pattern." TIM: The clause after the colon describes the "pattern" that was mentioned right before the colon. The clause “whatever comes after the colon describes, expands on, or reveals something new about what came before” is highlighted. TIM: Like commas, colons correspond to pauses in spoken sentences, only they tend to be a little longer. That's because in a sentence, a colon is always preceded by an independent clause, a clause that can stand on its own as a sentence. Let's take that last example. The clause from the example is shown. TIM: See? The clause, "most of them follow the same pattern" can stand on its own as a sentence; it's independent. Tim's stomach growls TIM: Ooh, sorry. I haven't eaten since we left this morning. I bet Mom and Dad are making dinner right now, as we speak. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, probably their specialties: black bean chicken, steamed artichokes, sun-dried tomato garlic bread, and pasta salad. I can almost taste it. An image shows Tim's parents, then the foods as Tim lists them. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, right. Sorry. An image shows the clause, "My parents are making their specialties:" TIM: Anyway, you see how the colon lets you know that there's a list starting up? An image shows the food Tim mentions under the sentence “My parents are making their specialties, colon, black bean chicken, steamed artichokes, sun-dried tomato garlic break, and pasta bread. TIM: It's almost like an equals sign in math. An equals sign replaces the colon in the clause. TIM: And notice how the introductory clause, "My parents are making their specialties," can stand alone as a sentence? The clause is shown as a sentence that ends in a period. TIM: A colon can also be used to reveal information about something mentioned before it. Hey, did I tell you that I finally picked a name for the new cat? I've decided on a name for my new kitty: Minou. An image shows Tim's sentence next to a cat. TIM: If I stopped at the colon, you'd be left hanging, wondering what the name is. The part after the colon satisfies your curiosity. "Minou" is highlighted. Moby laughs. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Minou is a perfectly good name, so what if it's French? Back to the main point: colons have a bunch of other uses, too. We use colons all the time to, well, to tell time, for one thing. They separate the numbers that represent hours and minutes. A radio alarm clock shows 7:15, then the alarm beeps. TIM: We also use colons after the salutations in business letters. An image shows a salutation, "Dear Mr. Moby" with a colon after “Moby”. MOBY: Beep? TIM: No, I'm not going to call you "Mr. Moby" from now on. Stop asking! Colons also separate the titles and subtitles of books, movies, and essays. Tim holds a book up. TIM: Gee, I'm sure glad I have my copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with me. We also use colons to separate the chapter and verse numbers when we're talking about religious texts like the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran. An image shows these three religious texts. There are samples of how colons separate the chapter and verse, such as Genesis 1, colon, 1. TIM: And we use colons to introduce quotations. Tim said to Moby: "What do you think that big shadow is?" Tim's sentence appears next to him. Moby covers his mouth and looks anxious. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Relax, I just made that up. There's not actually a shadow. Tim gets scared. TIM: Yagghhh! The shadow is Tim's father with a flashlight, looking for Tim and Moby. TIM: Oh. Hey, Dad. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts